Intel Macs to Ship Before New CPUs?, OS X on Intel Locked to Apple Hardware, Dual Core Thoughts, and More

Charles Moore - 2005.09.29

This Week's Macintel News

Apple's decision to switch to Intel CPUs means we live in very interesting times.

PowerBook, iBook, and other portable computing news is covered in The 'Book Review. General Apple and Mac desktop news is covered in The Mac News Review. iPod news is covered in The iPod News Review.

News, Analysis, and Opinion

• Macintels to Ship Before New Processors?
• Apple Will Get the Intel Chips It Wants
• OS X on Intel Tied to Apple Hardware
• What Is Dual Core Good For?
• New Macintel Transition Articles from Apple

Tech Developments

• AMD, Intel Ramp Up Performance, Cut Power
• Intel Showcases Benefits of Centrino Mobile for Entertainment On-the-Go
• Intel Continues Push Power-Optimization with Xeon Processor Line

News, Analysis, and Opinion

Macintels to Ship Before New Processors?

Engadget's Thomas Ricker reports:

"Just last week Apple's Steve Jobs proclaimed that they are right on target for a June 2006 delivery of their first Intel-based Macs. However, as the Inquirer reports, these new Macs are rumored to run on Intel's dual-core Woodcrest and ultra-low-power-consuming Merom processors which aren't expected to drop until the third quarter of 2006. Their sources say that Steve's attempt to strong-arm Intel into an early delivery just ain't flying in a global PC market dominated by the boys-in-beige."

• Link: Apple to Deliver First Intel-based Macs in June 2006 . . . Without Processors

Apple Will Get the Intel Chips It Wants

Nakfull Propaganda says:

"A recent 'The Inquierer' [sic] article seemed to insinuate that Apple won't get what it wants from Intel because 'Dell sells 20 times what you do...'.

"Let say that this article is correct up until the point where it says Apple can't get the chips destined for Dell... near the end, the article has Intel raising the question 'why should we give you preferential treatment again?' Apple's answer will be simple yet powerful... 'We can give you media attention you never dreamt possible.'"

• Link: Apple Will Get the Intel Chips It Wants . . . and Here's Why

OS X on Intel Tied to Apple Hardware

MacDevCenter.com's Giles Turnbull says:

"Apple is a very image-conscious company. It controls the output of information better than any other in its sector, indeed better than almost any other company of any kind. There are lots of secrets within Apple, and mostly they are kept pretty well.

"All of which makes it interesting when the senior management allow the tiniest snippet of information to come out.

"In this week's 'Meet the press' event in Paris, Steve Jobs and Phil Schiller talked about a range of subjects. I suspect they had a list of points they wanted to make, whether or not they were asked the right questions by the assembled journalists.

"One comment by Steve Jobs caught my attention more than the others.

"Jobs promised new technology on Intel Macs that will prevent the installation of OS X on non-Apple hardware. He's very confident about this. Jobs wanted to remind us of this summer's widespread reports of OS X installations on x86 machines, because he's sure he has an answer to prevent that happening on a massive scale once the switch has begun."

• Link: Towards a Better Dongle

What Is Dual Core Good For?

eWeek's Roger L. Kay writes:

"Opinion: Multicore is an expensive technology that does things most of us don't need."

For a different perspective on multiple cores, see Unleash Mac OS X with Dual Processors.

• Link: Dual Core: What Is It Good For?

New Macintel Transition Articles from Apple

The Apple Developer Connection has published two brand new feature articles as part of its Developer Transition Resource Center (DTRC), the central source for information on Apple's transition to Intel-based Macintosh computers:

Scoping Your Transition Projects

What does it take to make your application ready for Intel-based Macs? Read this article to determine your transition path and learn what you'll need to do for your application to be ready. For complete details, visit the following URL:

http://developer.apple.com/transition/projectscope.html

The Transition to Intel-based Macs: An Introduction for Testing and QA Engineers

Get your QA team ready for testing your applications for universal binaries that run on both PowerPC- and Intel-based Macintosh computers. Read this article on creating a test plan for the transition. For complete details, visit the following URL:

http://developer.apple.com/transition/testingqa.html

• Link: Developer Transition Resource Center

Tech Developments

AMD, Intel Ramp Up Performance, Cut Power

eWeek's Jeffrey Burt and John G. Spooner reports:

"Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Intel Corp. continue making moves to increase the performance of their processors while controlling the amount of power they consume.

"AMD, of Sunnyvale, Calif., this week is rolling out dual-core Opteron chips with a higher frequency than current chips."

• Link: AMD, Intel Ramp Up Performance, Cut Power

Intel Showcases Benefits of Centrino Mobile for Entertainment On-the-Go

In its fall advertising campaign breaking this week, Intel Corporation showcases the digital entertainment benefits of the Intel Centrino mobile technology platform for laptop PCs. The eight-country campaign consists of television, print, online, retail and outdoor elements.

"As computing and communications converge, Intel technology innovation continues to reshape how people live, work and play," said Eric Kim, vice president and co-director of Intel's Sales and Marketing Group. "Intel's fall advertising campaign specifically promotes the benefits of Intel's innovative mobile platform technology and the new and exciting ways Intel is transforming the digital entertainment experience for people around the world."

Ads for Intel Centrino mobile technology take a fun and humorous approach to address how consumers worldwide are increasingly interested in using their laptop PCs as all-in-one entertainment systems that can be used almost anywhere, anytime, without wires. The campaign promotes the benefits of the brand as the essential technology ingredient for the ultimate mobile entertainment experience around and outside the home.

The television ads feature well-known entertainment personalities sitting on consumers' laps. Each celebrity - actors John Cleese, Lucy Liu and Tony Leung; singer Seal; pro skateboarder Tony Hawk; and soccer star Michael Owen - represents different entertainment genres, such as games, movies and music. The metaphor of an entertainer sitting on the consumer's lap in place of a laptop PC illustrates how Centrino mobile technology enables a vibrant, realistic mobile entertainment experience.

"The ads creatively use personalities that are well-recognized worldwide in a memorable way to effectively reinforce the brand attributes and benefits of Intel Centrino mobile technology for entertainment," said Kim. The print ads will feature the blue and magenta Intel Centrino mobile technology logo and deliver quick benefit statements on digital entertainment, such as "For incredible movie experiences in your lap, get Intel Centrino in your laptop."

The Intel Centrino mobile technology platform includes a mobile processor, related chipsets and 802.11 wireless network capabilities that have been designed and tested to work together. In addition to wireless networking capability, the technology platform enables extended battery life, thinner and lighter laptop PC designs and outstanding mobile performance. Since its introduction in 2003, more than 200 laptop PC designs have been introduced based on Intel Centrino mobile technology.

• Link Intel Pressroom

Intel Continues Push Power-Optimization with Xeon Processor Line

PR: Completing an era in enterprise computing and signaling the beginning of a new generation of platforms and capabilities, Intel Corporation today announced availability of its last planned single-core Intel(R) Xeon(TM) processor. Intel also announced new low voltage versions of its Intel Xeon processor line as the company shifts to enterprise platforms with processors having two or more cores.

"We are aggressively driving the transformation to an entire new generation of multicore servers. As the most widely deployed 64-bit platform in the industry, Xeon is the clear server and workstation workhorse for business," said Diane Bryant, vice president of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group and general manager of Intel's Server Platforms Group. "And as we support the transition to multicore enterprise computing, Intel is already sampling next-generation processors and platforms that will consume orders of magnitude less power and incorporate new platform technologies that deliver leadership manageability, virtualization and I/O efficiency."

As part of its strategy to improve power efficiency, Intel today introduced low voltage versions of its Intel Xeon processors. They include the 64-bit Intel Xeon processor LV 3 GHz(1) with only a 55W processor power envelope and the 64-bit Intel Xeon processor MV 3.20 GHz with a 90W processor power envelope. Both processors are targeted at server rack and blade designs where space is constrained and power-efficiency is a priority.

Intel also introduced a new 64-bit Intel Xeon processor with 2 MB of L2 cache running at 3.80 GHz that is drop-in compatible with the previous Intel Xeon processor platforms and continues to offer power-saving features with Demand Based Switching, enhanced performance and flexibility with support for Hyper-Threading Technology(2), DDR2-400 memory and PCI Express(a). Additionally, Intel introduced a 64-bit Intel Xeon processor 2.80 GHz with 2 MB L2 cache for servers used in small and medium business environments.

"Building on our history of delivering high-performance and innovative platforms to customers in high volume, Intel has an impressive roadmap of dual-core and multicore Intel Xeon platforms under development," said Bryant.

In the coming weeks, Intel will introduce its first dual-core Intel Xeon processor, code named "Paxville." Originally scheduled in 2006, Paxville will deliver improved performance for both dual-processor (DP) and multiprocessor (MP)-based servers.

In early 2006, Intel will deliver another server platform, code named "Bensley," including a dual-core Intel Xeon processor, code named "Dempsey," a chipset optimized for dual-core, code named "Blackford," and technologies that will improve performance, manageability, reliability and productivity. At that time Intel will bring to market a dual-core Intel Xeon processor-based workstation platform, code named "Glidewell," also including the Dempsey processor, and a new chipset, optimized for workstations, code named "Greencreek."

To further efforts in reducing server power consumption, in 2006 Intel also plans to deliver a new dual-core processor, code named "Sossaman," targeted at power-constrained environments.

Later in 2006, Intel will introduce a dual-core Intel Xeon processor-based platform, code named "Woodcrest," designed on Intel's advanced 65-nanometer technology manufacturing process. Woodcrest, based on the company's next-generation, power-optimized micro-architecture, will offer dramatically improved performance and greatly reduced power consumption.

64-bit Intel Xeon processors with 2 MB L2 cache at operating speeds of 3.80 GHz and 2.80 GHz are available now for $851 and $198, respectively, in 1,000-unit quantities. The 64-bit Intel Xeon processor LV 3 GHz is priced at $519 in 1,000-unit quantities. And the 64-bit Intel Xeon processor MV 3.20 GHz is priced at $487 in 1,000 unit quantities.

• Link: Intel

More Mac News

PowerBook, iBook, and other portable computing news is covered in The 'Book Review. General Apple and Mac desktop news is covered in The Mac News Review. iPod news is covered in The iPod News Review.